Chapter 74 - Enter, the Sheep

Finally, the school came into view.

Legosi barely noticed the time pass as they came to their home, walking through the door. He dropped his suitcase on the floor, took off his shoes, and walked over to the bed and sat down.

Louis looked at him, not saying anything.

The wolf's eyes suddenly adopted a certain intensity, and he brought his phone out again, typing away furiously.

"It was outside of the school. No way to tell who did it.", Legosi stated, his voice bereft of emotion.

"Of course...Maybe we shouldn't worry about it. Let's just rest."

"They were both in the drama club...I think it was the same killer..."

"Legosi."

Legosi stood up, shouting. "It had to have been!" He slunk back a bit after his outburst, holding his head and sitting back down.

"You don't want to worry about it later?"

Louis crossed his arms. "Calm down."

The canine used his other hand to grab the covers, still breathing heavily.

Legosi looked up. The room seemed to spin.

The deer grabbed his arm. "Legosi." How many times could he say it?

In an instant, Legosi wrapped his arms tightly around Louis, breathing into his chest rapidly.

"Hey!"

The wolf brought them both down so they were lying on the bed. He clutched his deer, laying on their sides.

"Calm down, I'm here..."

"L-Louis.", it was barely a whisper.

"Legosi..."

The wolf cleared his throat, his breathing slowing down slightly.

"I'm here," he repeated.

Legosi rolled on top of him, wrapping his arms and legs around him while also keeping most of his weight off of him. His breathing slowed even more. "You're...you're...safe..."

"This is dangerous, you know."

The canine sniffed. "Wh...what?"

"Being here. It's dangerous to all herbivores."

"Wh-what do we do?"

"They should shut down the school in my opinion."

Legosi stayed quiet. He began to stroke Louis's arm.

"But if they don't, we need to be cautious."

"Yeah...yeah..." sniffed and retreated into Louis more. "Do you think...everyone else is alright now?"

"I'm not sure..."

Legosi sighed. "Most of them are still probably at home." He pulled his phone out again, scrolling through the messages.

"We should go to the funeral."

"Yeah." Legosi typed some messages back. "Louis...you know it was probably a carnivore in the drama club, right?"

"I do."

"...I'm worried. Pina texted me and said he can't get in contact with Bill." Legosi swallowed. "But...there's no way..."

"Oh..."

The dog shook his head. "The way he acted at the black market...he seemed inexperienced. It couldn't have been him..."

"Well if you're losing it to your instincts..."

Legosi shook his head more. "I couldn't see him acting that way after eating Tem. He was good friends with Els, too." Oddly, focusing on who the killer might be was calming him down.

"I think we need to investigate the drama club carnivores."

Legosi nodded.

Louis sighed. "Already."

He shrugged. "Should I invite him here? I'd feel better knowing he's safe."

"Okay. He must be afraid because of the recent events."

Legosi typed the message to him and hit send. "Yeah." He sat up, feeling dizzy again. "Oh...we haven't eaten yet today..."

"I just want to relax."

"I know. I'm not saying you should make something. Just lay here. I'm going to make eggs. Want anything?" Legosi talked with an odd focus, contrasting heavily with how he was acting just before.

"You're going to make eggs?"

"What? You just crack some eggs in the pan."

"Don't burn the house down."

Legosi managed to chuckle. "I won't."

Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of sizzling. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

Louis got up and opened it. "Pina-kun."

Pina quickly walked in, throwing his shoes off and going over to the couch, sitting without a word with his arms crossed.

Legosi turned around. "Oh, hello, Pina."

The sheep looked up, a smile on his face. "Yo."

The deer came over and sat on the couch. "It's good to see you again. You look a little disheveled..."

Pina looked over at Louis. His smile faltered, and his eyes were tired. "Els was found outside school grounds. It looks like they're going to treat it like a separate case."

Legosi flipped his eggs. "What? How do you know?"

"I've been following it since it broke this morning. I've had nothing else to do..."

Louis felt sick hearing those words. "Both drama club students. They have a connection and look similar."

Pina shrugged. "So many predation cases last year. They probably think it's a coincidence." The sheep scowled. "I didn't get to know her as well as I wanted, but she was one of Bill's best friends. And he's not responding to me or answering my calls."

"I'm worried about that, but instead of jumping to my mind's conclusion, I'm going to say he's upset over the whole thing," Louis stated.

The dall sheep nodded. "He couldn't have done it. He would have no reason."

"Well...instincts. Easy reason."

Pina looked at Louis with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, then why hasn't he eaten me yet? We've been completely alone dozens of times now. Pressed up against each other. Naked."

"Maybe it's different with you. You don't know what lead up to Els' death."

He sighed. "I don't. They just...found her remains in an alleyway. It must have happened very early in the morning."

Louis gulped. "Was Bill with you?"

Pina shook his head. "He went to be with his family, and I got back just last night."

"Maybe he turned off his notifications for a ringer."

"That could be it too. I'm just..." Pina sighed, dropping his smile and putting his hands in his face. "It's a lot."

Legosi put his eggs between some bread and sat down next to him, taking a bite. He wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't used to the herbivore acting this way.

The deer blinked. "Seriously...we...can't rule him out. I mean, they were friends..."

Pina put his hands on his knees. A stray tear dripped from his eye, but his expression remained neutral, as did his voice. "I know. He could be the killer."

"There's only one person we know who can't be the killer." Louis turned his head to his fiance.

Legosi chewed on his sandwich. Pina looked over at him. "Even if we didn't have you to back up his alibi, I know this dumb dog wouldn't be able to do anything like that."

The wolf swallowed. "...Thanks?"

The dall sheep put a hand on his shoulder and patted it. "Don't mention it."

"He tried to eat me when we met."

Pina froze. He looked over at Louis with wide eyes.

Legosi just sat there, letting it be said.

Louis nodded. "Back in the spring..."

The wolf cleared his throat. "W-well, that wasn't when we met, Louis."

"Oh yeah."

Pina just looked between the two. "Wow...and now you're going to get married."

"I feel bad that Bill isn't here with us," Louis sighed.

Pina smiled. "I'm dragging his ass right as I see him again." He sighed. "I know he goes to the black market. I know he eats meat. But when he's with me...I don't know I can tell he's controlling himself." He rubbed the side of his face, stretching the skin. "Ugh, that was a weird thing to say all of a sudden."

"But he'll be on the run if he did do this."

Pina fiddled with his fingers. "I know..."

Legosi put a hand on his shoulder.

"Name them," Louis said.

"Kai. Like, could you imagine? I can't."

"I mean..."

Legosi held his hand up. "Dom told me he and Kai have been texting each other almost constantly all of break. So even then, I don't think it could be him."

"That's good, at least. Who does that narrow it down to?"

Pina counted on his fingers. "Tao, Aoba, Riz, Shiira, Juno...", he paused, "...Bill."

"So we investigate them all."

The dall sheep placed his palms on the couch, looking down at nothing in particular. "So, ignoring the unlikely chance that it's a carnivore outside of the drama club, any of those you think we can rule out right away?"

Legosi thought about it. "I haven't received any messages to suggest that..." His ears perked up. "Oh, Juno wasn't in the drama club when Tem was killed."

"How do we know it was the same killer? There are multiple carnivores in the drama club."

Pina steepled his fingers. "Well, if we go that route we might as well look outside the drama club then, right?"

"Mm...I believe it's not a coincidence it was these two. There has to be some connection."

The wooly anima leaned back. "Wanna hear what I think?"

"Go ahead." Louis waved his hand.

"Els found out who it was. That's why they killed her."

"You don't think it was an instinct thing?"

Pina shrugged. "If that were the case, why not just some other random herbivore? Tem had feelings for Els. She must have been trying to get answers for herself."

Legosi finished his sandwich. "Wait, how do you know about that? You weren't part of the drama club then..."

The sheep looked at Legosi with a crooked smirk. "I've done some sleuthing myself, even before this. To be honest, it's the main reason I joined the drama club..."

"Excuse me?" Louis furrowed his brows.

"Police and investigators left the case. I wanted answers myself. Don't be offended, I like acting too," Pina winked.

"No, it wasn't offense. It's just...they only let certain people into the drama club. It's unsettling to think about."

Pina played with his horn. "Yeah, well, call it a coincidence. I did try my best to get noticed by the recruiter, anyway."

"Mmm. Why does this affect you so much?"

The other herbivore leaned his head back. "I don't know about you, but an herbivore being devoured at his very own school, where he was supposed to be safe from the outside world, not having to worry about anything but his studies? And then the authorities basically turn a blind eye to it? Yeah...doesn't sit right with me!"

"And they didn't shut the school down, either."

"And this took place outside of the school, so they probably won't for this, either. I can guarantee the drama club is going to be suspended indefinitely, though. Will make investigating a bit harder, maybe." Pina brought his arms up to his shoulders, wrapping up his body. "I don't think the killer has caught on that I've been trying to find them. That's another reason I don't think it could be Bill..."

"We still can't rule it out," he scratched his cheek. "But you're right. They won't let the drama club go on, even though it was the club that brought herbivores and carnivores together in such a coherent way."

"Yes, which is another reason this bastard pisses me off so much."

Legosi leaned down to look at Pina. "Wow...you're amazing, Pina. I had no idea you were doing this sort of thing..."

"Ah...well, that's really brave of you, Pina."

The sheep balled his fists on his knees. "Yeah, well...to be honest, now with Els dead...I'm...really fucking scared? Like...yeah..."

"I'm afraid, too," Louis nodded. "Now I get why you teased Legosi about eating you."

"He told you about that, huh?" Pina nudged the wolf. Legosi just nodded. "Sorry, again. I'm...really glad you're not the killer. Although it sounds like you could have been another one..."

"Uh, yeah. I'm glad too."

"Why should we solve these murders?" Louis asked. "Why should it be our job?"

Pina held his hands up. "I'm not saying you should. We were just sharing information. You guys sounded curious."

"Isn't that why you joined, though?" Louis asked.

Pina's ears flicked. "I didn't want to get anyone else involved. Didn't know who to trust, and I didn't want to endanger any of the herbivores any more."

"They're certainly afraid now."

"No doubt." Pina balled himself up on the couch, sighing. "Continuing this search could lead to more deaths, but so could letting the killer just go. I don't know what to do." Seeing him in such a vulnerable state was strange.

"It could lead to our own deaths as well."

Pina just nodded.

Legosi looked between the two. "I'll protect you...both of you."

"Guess we should set some rules. No going out at night alone is the first."

Pina let out an amused huff. "I doubt any herbivore is going to after this."

"I meant for us. As a...team, I guess you could call it."

Bill's mate perked up. "Hm?"

"If we find out Bill is innocent, we'll each have a partner, so it's safe to say stay with your partner. Do you have anything that can be used as a weapon?"

The sheep pointed at his horns, looking a bit dumbfounded.

"Might need to get something. I have my gun," Louis said, matter-of-factly.

Pina whistled. "Hardcore, Louis."

Legosi blinked. He had many conflicting emotions about this.

"Well..." the sheep continued, "I could swipe a bat from the baseball club or something."

"Okay, sounds good. Legosi has his claws, so he's fine," Louis explained.

Legosi looked down at them. Would he have to use them again?

Pina leaned back again. "We have to remain discreet still, of course." He took his phone out and scowled at it. "I wish Bill would fucking respond..."

"Maybe he lost his phone," Louis siggested.

The sheep snorted, and laughed that dreamlike laugh of his. "Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him, honestly. He's a dumbass."

"Thinking positively."

Pina stood up and walked into the kitchen. "I'm hungry. Mind if I grab something?"

Louis looked at Legosi. "Do we have anything?"

"Just some ingredients and stuff." He leaned over to Louis and whispered. "Are you sure...you want to get serious about this?"

"About?"

"Finding the killer."

"Well...who else will?"

Legosi embraced his mate. "I know...I'm just scared for you and Pina. And any other animal that might get caught up in this."

"And you?" the deer tilted his head.

The wolf shook his head. "Whatever happens to me won't be nearly as scary as something happening to one of my friends..."

"If something happens to you, where does that leave me?" Louis asked.

Pina sat down again. "Yeah, Legosi. You're being a bit too selfless here."

The canine's ears drooped down. "I'm sorry...I just...I can't see myself getting hurt as badly as you guys might..."

His mate sighed. "Well, we're herbivores. It's always this way for us."

The dall sheep crunched on his carrot. "Look, Legosi, the more animals we can get to join us, the safer we'll be. Right now we need to determine who definitely isn't the killer." The sheep's previous fear subsided a bit. Was he feeling...giddy? This little project he had started months ago was starting to come together. It was a shame that it took Els's death to get the ball rolling.

Louis nodded. "Exactly. I can't see Kai doing it, but we never can be sure."

Legosi bit his lip, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "Should we go to Gon-san?"

"What would he do? He probably is dealing with a lot as it is. He's luckily it wasn't in school."

Pina laid back on the couch, his feet on the cushion next to him now. "Yeah, and he hasn't done anything about Tem's murder. I don't trust him, to be honest."

Legosi turned to the sheep, trying not to snap at him. "Gon-san is a good man!"

The skinny animal held his hands up defensively. "Woah, okay."

"He called me this morning about the incident, actually..."

Pina blinked. "Called you? Like on your cell phone? Personally?"

Legosi nodded.

"So you have a...personal relationship with him?"

Legosi nodded again.

"Hmm...that might be useful in some way. We'll keep it in mind."

"Gon-san is good. I trust him, Pina-kun."

"Alright, alright."

Legosi pulled Louis into his lap, holding him by the midsection.

Louis sighed. "He's gone protective."

The wolf grunted. "I'm always protective."

Pina looked at the two, his expression softening, turning into one of longing. It had only been a few days but he missed that stupid tiger.

The deer looked to the sheep. "Hm..."

Legosi held Louis tighter. "So...what are we going to do today?"

"I don't know. But Pina is here now."

Pina waved. "Helloo. Sorry if you wanted to fuck."

"Too soon," Louis grinned.

Legosi nodded. "Yeah, I still feel sick thinking about what happened."

The sheep frowned. "Just a joke." He stood up, making his way toward the remote and turning the TV on. "You guys don't mind if I crash here until my roommates come back, right? Or at least until I find out what's happening with Bill."

"That's fine. We won't be having sex again anytime soon. I think."

Pina laid on his stomach, turning the channel to some random cartoon. "...Thanks."

Louis looked to Legosi. "Hey."

His mate looked back. He looked tired, but he still managed a smile for his beloved.

"It will be okay."

"Yeah...yeah..."